It's the Thought That Counts
by The Sparkly Potato
Summary: It was breakfast at Camp Half Blood when Travis realized something was seriously wrong. Really wrong. Like, his girlfriend-might-kill-him wrong. He had forgotten that today was his girlfriend's birthday! Really fluffy Tratie oneshot!


**Disclaimer: I don't own anything but the plot!**

**Enjoy the story:) Remember to review:D**

It's The Thought That Counts

It was breakfast at Camp Half Blood when Travis realized something was seriously wrong. Really wrong. Like, his girlfriend-might-kill-him wrong.

"Connor," Travis hissed at his brother and partner in crime, who was sitting next to him making bubbles in his orange juice.

"Mmm-hmmm," Connor replied. Travis yanked the straw out of Connor's mouth.

"Hey!" Connor protested.

"Sorry, bro. But this is URGENT!" Travis said frantically.

"What is it _now_?" Connor asked in a bored tone. "Last time something was 'urgent' it turned out that your smiley face boxers fell in the toilet. What is it now-your Valentine's Day ones?!"

"No," Travis whispered, "Nothing like that. It's Katie's birthday today, dude!"

"Aaaand?"

"I don't have a gift for her! Or a card! Or anything!"

"Are you sure it's her birthday?" Connor asked as Travis pulled psychotically at his curls while muttering things about him being mauled with a rake.

"Yes," Travis hissed, "She told me when we were at the boardwalk together last week!"

"Okay, okay, calm down, bro. We'll get her a gift and a card. Why are you freaking out so much?"

Truth to be told, Travis was freaking out because he was afraid of losing Katie. They'd only been dating about a month, and Travis just considered it a stroke of luck that she hadn't rejected him. Besides, Travis always felt like he didn't deserve a girl like Katie. Katie was _much _too good for him. He half expected her to break up with him any second.

Of course, he couldn't tell Connor all that. Connor would just laugh.

"Because," Travis insisted, because that was all he could think of.

"Because what?"

"Never mind," Travis said, sighing impatiently, "We need to get her a gift though."

"Good. Because I know the perfect place to go shopping…"

* * *

"Ow!"

"It's not my fault, I didn't know your foot was there!"

"That's okay…turn on the flashlight," Travis muttered, trying to feel his way around the gardening shed. He bumped into something smooth and cold. A lawn mower maybe? Travis didn't know. All of the sudden, he heard a flick, and light flooded the old, musty shed. Travis squinted for a second, getting used to the light, and then surveyed the shed. Along the left wall, all sorts of gardening tools were hung up on a large wooden peg board. Pots, soil, and huge bags of plant food lined the shelves in the back, along with watering cans hung up by various nails. Arranged in a neat line along the right wall were all sorts of lawnmowers-big, small, old, new, you name it, it was there.

"Isn't it weird that we're stealing something from the Demeter cabin's shed to give to Katie?" asked Travis.

"Nah, not at all," Connor said nonchalantly, inspecting some gardening gloves, "It's just like regifting. Trust me, dude, there's so much crap in here, Katie won't even notice that her present came from this very shed."  
"If you say so," Travis said, shrugging, even though he was secretly worried that Katie would figure out they'd stolen her present from her cabin's shed.

"You know, I'm thinking Katie Kat might want a lawnmower," Connor said, running his hands along the sleek surface of one of the biggest and shiniest lawnmowers in the shed.

Travis tried to imagine Katie sitting in a huge lawnmower. He couldn't. "Nah," Travis said, "Too hard to steal."

"Watering can?"

"Too small."

"Then what do you want to give her?!"

"I was thinking something along the lines of…a _rake!"_

"A rake?"

"Yeah. You know, those things your parents make you use to clean up the yard when they're too lazy to do it themselves?"

"I _know_ what a rake it," Connor said indignantly, "I'm just saying, _are you sure that's the right present for Katie_?"

"I'm positive," Travis said firmly, as he picked his way through the pots and gardening gloves randomly strewn across the floor, to the pegboard where the rakes were neatly hung up. Travis chose the one he thought Katie would like best-a simple, practical rake, with a wooden handle.

"See? That was easy!" Connor said enthusiastically, as he flipped the flashlight switch off, and they (clumsily) made their way to the door.

"Now all I have left is the card," said Travis as he put his hand on the door knob.

"Want me to help?" asked Connor, a little too enthusiastically. Travis remembered the last time they had made a card together (it was on Mother's Day), Connor had "accidentially" stabbed Travis's arm with the scissors when he refused to give Connor the glitter. Glancing over at the faint scar on his arm, Travis shuddered.

"Nah," he said, "I'm fine."

"But you have no idea what to do! You'll need someone to help you write the message since you're…uh…not such a good speller," Connor pointed out. It was true. Connor could spell a whole lot better than Travis, who was sixteen and still not exactly sure how to spell the word 'different'. Still, Travis was sure that he would manage. He had an idea forming already…

"No," he said, "I mean thanks for offering and all, bro, but I'm really okay. I have an idea…"

"That's a first," Connor muttered.

"Hey!"

"You are sort of dumb, though," Connor pointed out. Travis pretended not to hear him.

"Hey, Connor?"

"Mmm?"

"Do you know where we could find glitter? Like, lots of glitter? Like, a ton of glitter?"

* * *

The card was all finished. The gift was all wrapped. Now all Travis had to do was give it to Katie.

"Oh, hello, Travie," Connor said in his most girlish voice.

"CUT! She doesn't call me 'Travie'! Any where did you even think of that nickname?!" Travis demanded. The very idea of the name 'Travie' caused him to want to vomit.

Connor mumbled something about Aphrodite girls, but Travis didn't hear him. Right now, they were practicing for what Travis was going to say to Katie, and so far, they were on take 67. Travis felt ready to puke if he had to call Connor a "sweetie" one more time.

"Okay. Let's take it from the top," Travis said sighing. Connor shut the door of the Hermes cabin, pretending that it was the Demeter cabin. Travis knocked on the door, holding out his rake and huge, glittery card in front of him.

"Oh, hello, Travis," Connor said in a girly voice. Travis shuddered as he looked at his brother. Connor had wanted them to "act like it was the real thing" so he had taken the liberty of using the Aphrodite cabin's make up on himself, to pretend he was Katie (even though Katie did NOT wear make up). Connor looked scarily like a girl.

"Uhh…umm…Katie…WILL YOU PLEASE WIPE THAT MAKEUP OFF?! IT'S CREEPING ME OUT!" Travis yelled, dropping the bouquet of weeds that Connor had made him hold.

Connor sighed and wiped his face with a nearby towel. Reaching under his shirt, Connor took out two balloons from his chest. Travis rolled his eyes. If Connor was going to _play_ a role, he had to _be_ the role too.

"Look, dude, I don't know what to tell you. I'm really tired of talking in that really shrill voice, and if I have to do that again, I swear I'll hit you with something. Maybe you should just tough it out? You know? Like, be yourself or whatever?" Connor asked, leaning against the door frame.

Travis sighed. He couldn't wait much longer. Soon, it would be swordfighting practice, and Travis had already missed enough camp activities today, making Katie's card and all. "Fine," Travis said. "We should go."

The two of them made their way over to the Demeter cabin, pausing once to add a few more flowers to the weed bouquet. Once they reached the Demeter cabin, Travis knocked twice on the door. Katie's sister Miranda answered it.

"Hi Travis! Hi Connor! Uhhh…Connor? Is that make up on your face?"

"…"

"Okaaay. Well, do you want to see Katie?" Miranda asked turning back to Katie.

"Um, yeah," Travis said. A few seconds later, Katie appeared in the doorframe.

"Hi Travis! Um, don't you have to be at swordfighting?" Katie asked, glancing up at him.

"Hi Kates!" Travis said brightly, plopping the bouquet of weeds in her hands. "Just 'cause," Travis said, reading her questioning stare.

"Oh. I see," Katie said.

"Anyway," Travis said, inviting himself in, "Here's a rake for your birthday-"

"But-"

"And this is a birthday card for you-"

"It's not-"

"And, I hope you have a really great birthday Katie!" Travis said, giving her a ginormous hug. Travis heard Connor making gagging sounds behind his back.

"Travis, it's not my birthday," Katie said calmly.

"WHAT?!"

"It's a week from now," Katie said, laughing. "But it was really sweet of you to go through all this." Katie fumbled with the envelope for the card, and when she finally got it undone, a mound of multi colored glitter poured out. Travis grinned sheepishly.

"'Dear Katie'" Katie read, "'I love you, I love you, I love you. Love, Travis.' Awww! This is so cute!" Katie said, giving Travis a hug this time. Travis smiled into Katie's shoulder.

"UGH! I CAN'T TAKE THIS CORNINESS ANYMORE!" Connor yelled, Travis Katie, and the other Demeter kids in the room to jump up.

"I'm getting out of here," Connor muttered, stalking out of the Demeter cabin.

"Well," Katie grumbled disapprovingly, watching Connor leave.

"He's weird. But he's a nice bro. He helped me st-I mean, pick out the rake. That we gave to you even though it wasn't your birthday," Travis said.

"Hey," Katie said, patting a spot on a nearby bed. Travis sat down. "It was a sweet gift and card. And, uh, bouquet of weeds."

"That's not the point! We totally missed your birthday!"

"It's really the thought that counts," Katie said.

It was such a cliché. He had heard it so many times-in movies, in books, in poems, in plays, in everything. It was everywhere. But somehow, when Katie said it, it was for real.

**Did you like it? Good? Bad? Horrible? Disgusting? This is my first fan fic, so please give me advice for how I can get better :) Remember to review! :DDD**

**Totally optional questions to answer (just for fun!)**

**1)What's the weirdest card you've ever made someone?**

**2) Have you ever accidentially wished someone happy birthday on a day that wasn't their birthday?**

**3) What do you want to get for your birthday this year? :D**


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